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It usually takes about two bites of Anopoli’s resplendently goopy banana split before the realization sets in: Paradise was never lost, it was just hanging out in Bay Ridge. On a hot day in the ‘hood, there’s no better spot than the leafy backyard garden of this Greek diner and old-school ice cream parlor. It’s here that wisecracking waitresses haul out dishes of silky homemade ice cream and floats, shakes and malts from the restaurant’s early-1900s soda fountain. The scoops melt fast in this environment, so speed is of the essence, but there’s something to be said for your smooth, rich maple walnut ice cream forming a moat around a sweet banana and whip cream castle. If, heaven forbid, it’s raining or cold outside, there’s usually room at the long, dining room bar or among the Kelly green booths, each dolled up with a tabletop vase of assorted fresh flowers. Needless to say, the ice creams, root beer floats and Lime Rickeys are the big draw, but the rest of the menu is respectable. Expect solid, unspectacular renditions of spinach pie as well as decent burgers, heaping triple-decker deli sandwiches and omelets served all day. — Jon Steinberg

Banana split, $5.45; root beer float, $3.75; spinach pie with Greek salad, $7.25